


Loss of a Mother, Loss of a Wife

by RomaMarufixx



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Genderbending, Good morgana, Merthur - Freeform, Pregnancy, fem!merlin, legal magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-09-26 21:35:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9923033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomaMarufixx/pseuds/RomaMarufixx
Summary: Merlin and Arthur are happily married….right? Merlin wants a child, but Arthur dosen't want to lose her like he did his mother. Fem!Merlin, Merthur, Fem!Merlin/Arthur, Good Morgana . Originally posted on FF.net in 2012.





	1. Beginnings

Merlin was dressed in one of those, in her opinion, awful dresses that all the royal women had to wear, which was tight, most of all, on her breasts, hips and waist. Although that didn't matter at the moment, all that did was the smiling faces of the children that she was entertaining in the courtyard as well as their laughter. She threw yet another blue sphere into the air and watched as it burst into a hundred tiny blue sparkles and fell down onto them.

"Do another, please, your majesty." said one of the small group of children around her and all of the others nodded and voiced their agreement.

"Okay." she grinned and threw a third, and it repeated what the last two had just done but it still drew out the same joyful reaction from the children.

Arthur was in his chambers, reading through some of the things that had been brought up in council but the sound of laughter drew his attention to the window. As he glanced outside he could see where it was coming from and the reason for it, as Merlin and the children were smiling and laughing at the blue spheres that were exploding into tiny pieces above their heads.

It made Arthur smiled and a small laugh escaped him before it disappeared and he frowned.

Just over a year ago, Merlin and Arthur had married, just a few months after the announcement that magic was legal and Merlin had become his Court Sorceress just a month before she had become his Queen.

It was around the time of their first anniversary that Morgana had brought up the topic of children and it had caused an argument between everyone present, and had lead to Arthur shouting that he didn't want children, even though he knew that he would need to leave an heir for Camelot, but the thing that shocked everyone the most was that he had not told Merlin this and she found out at the same time as everyone else.

After that night, he seemed to see less of Merlin, she only spoke to him in short sentences and only really when he spoke to her or she needed to speak to him about something. She seemed to spend a lot of her time with the servant's children and Arthur could only guess that it was because of her want for children that Arthur didn't want.

The truth was Arthur did actually want children, but due to the fact that he had lost his mother in childbirth, he was afraid that he would lose Merlin the same way, of course he knew that the circumstances were much different, with his mother having only conceived through magic whereas Merlin could probably conceive naturally, but Arthur's fear conquered his common sense, he _could not_ lose his Merlin.

It was around midnight, maybe even early in the morning when Merlin returned had returned to her and Arthur's chambers, she had managed to open and close the door without making a sound or tripping over anything, which was very unlike her. She had just taken her shoes off when Arthur came up behind her.

"Merlin?"

"Arthur!" She jumped and spun around so fast that her neck hurt. "You scared me! I thought you would be asleep."

"I was waiting up for you, where have you been?" he asked, slightly irritated but he tried not to show it.

"Just out."

"At the tavern again?" he teased and she scoffed at the joke. She muttered something under her breath as she took off her cloak and tried to undo her corset by herself.

"What?"

"I said I was at Anna and Erec's house." she said and the names struck a bell. Erec was a knight of Camelot, and just under two years ago he had married a young noble lady called Anna and the two had recently had a daughter, which could be the reason why Merlin was spending her nights at their home. Arthur sighed before following Merlin to their bed.

She had managed to get her corset off and once her arms were out of the dress, she let it drop to the floor, leaving her in her under dress which she decided that she going to sleep in and got into bed as Arthur did the same.

Merlin turned so that her back was to Arthur, so he brought himself close behind her and moved her hair to the side so that he was able to kiss her neck.

"Merlin?" he said and when she said nothing, he continued. "I know that you're upset, my love, please, can we talk?" Arthur felt her try and move so he backed up to give her the room that she needed to turn around and when she did he could see the tears that were welling up in her eyes and he cupped her cheek and rubbed it as she began to cry.

"Merlin…"

"I went over to their home to see their baby daughter, Alysa, and every time that I see her I feel a warmth inside and then it turns to ice when I realise that she is not mine."

"Merlin, I know you want a child."

"But you don't." she sobbed.

"I do."

"But, you said-" Merlin began to say, very confused.

"I didn't mean it, I'm just worried...about losing you like I lost my mother."

"Oh Arthur, it won't be like that, Ygraine died because-"

"I know, I just couldn't bare living without you."

"Oh, Arthur," she said and moved so that she could cup one of his cheeks to prevent him from looking away from her. "You won't get rid of me that easily, I'm like a splinter, once I'm here, it is hell to get me to go away." she said and they both laughed.

Arthur moved forward and caught her lips in a slow and passionate kiss and when they broke apart, Merlin pushed Arthur onto his back before climbing on top of him and continuing the kiss. Merlin moved backwards slightly so their lower bodies pressed against each other causing them both to moan.

"Oh, gods, Arthur, it's been too long." she moaned and she pulled the nightdress over her head and threw it onto the floor. Arthur grabbed hold of her slim waist and dragged his eyes across her body before moving one hand up to cup her breast, making her squeal out in pleasure and delight and her head rolled backwards when he began rubbing his thumb across her sensitive nipple.

"I think we should make a start on that baby, don't you?" Arthur's voice was dark with lust which made Merlin moan and she nodded and pushed Arthur down on the bed claiming his lips again, her hands grabbing the bottom of his night shirt to pull it over his head.

 

* * *

 

 

"Arthur, it's a beautiful day, you really can't expect me to stay in this dingy chamber can you?" Merlin begged her husband as he was getting ready to train with his knights.

"Dingy chamber?" Arthur asked offended and Merlin glared at him which only made him snigger. "Merlin, yesterday when you were outside in the heat, you fainted and I am not going to let that happen again."

"But-"

"And then there's the fact that you threw up this morning, twice, one time in my boots."

"That chicken last night was not cooked properly, it tasted off and I'm sorry, that was the closest thing I could find to throw up in this morning."

"The chicken was fine Merlin, I had it as well."

"Yeah, well, you would eat anything." She said and Arthur rolled his eyes before turning around and placing a kiss on his wife's forehead.

"I'll be back in a few hours and during that time I expect you to go and see Gaius, maybe he knows what has made you feel ill all of a sudden, I'll see you later." he said as he left.

"Whatever." she huffed and got back into bed.

It took her another half an hour to will herself to get out of bed and get dressed before making her way to Gaius' chambers, where she knocked twice on the door before letting herself in.

"Gaius?" she called out and then noticed him stood at a workbench filling up a small vial with an orange coloured liquid, but placed it in a holder when he saw who was stood at his door.

"Merlin, my girl, what can I do for you?"

"Arthur told me to come and visit you, I haven't been very well."

"What is the matter?"

"Well, as far as Arthur knows, I fainted yesterday and threw up this morning but to be honestly, for the past few weeks or so I've just felt so sick, tired and dizzy."

"Yes, I recall you passing out in the courtyard." Gaius said and Merlin blushed as she recalled the fainting, just by the training fields, in the presence of not only Gaius and her husband but all of the knights. "Well, let's find out what's the problem." Gaius said and after an hour of him taking sample after sample from her, he had found out the cause of her illness.

"I have it."

"What is it Gaius? What is wrong with me?" she asked, worrying from the stool that she was sat on.

"Nothing is wrong Merlin."

"What do you mean?"

"You're pregnant." _Pregnant._

Merlin made a high pitched noise before jumping off of the stool and throwing herself at Gaius for a hug and they both laughed.

"Congratulations Merlin."

"Thank you, Gaius, do you know how far along I am?" she asked curiously.

"I would guess at around a month, that's when the nausea begins."

"What other symptoms do I have to look forward to then?" she asked and the two of them talked for hours as Gaius explain to her as much as he knew about pregnancy and showed her several books on the subject and he told her that her symptoms would stay the same for another month before she would experience mood swings and even more fatigue.

He also reminded her that there was still a high risk of miscarriage up until the fourth month, so that she should keep her pregnancy on the down low, but of course she had to tell Arthur.

Gaius had told her that the morning sickness she had would continue, but die down around the second or third month, but could come back at any point during the pregnancy and that it was healthy for her to gain a bit of weight every week, but she didn't care about the weight gain, all she cared about was the fact that she was going to have a baby, that she was going to be a mother.

"Could you send a letter to my mother, asking her to come to Camelot, I would love to have her here during my pregnancy."

"Of course, my girl, now go tell the King of the good news and I'll have to see how you're doing next month." She hugged her uncle once more before leaving to go and see Arthur.


	2. Baby Beginnings

Arthur had been surprised to come back to his bedchambers to find that Merlin was not there, he had been gone for a number of hours and didn't expect Merlin to spend too much time at Gaius. With her being gone longer than he had been he began to worry, but she soon came through the doors of their chambers and nearly all the worry went away.

"Merlin! I've been so worried, where have you been?" he asked and grabbed her gently by the shoulders.

"You told me to go and see Gaius, and that's where I have been, I don't normally do what you tell me, but this once I did." she said, sticking out her tongue and he smirked.

"You seem better, nothing wrong with you then?" he asked, moving his hands up to cup her face.

"Well, nothing's wrong yes, but…"

"But what?" Arthur asked and Merlin moved them so that they were sat on their bed.

"Well, after an hour or so with Gaius trying to find out why I was feeling the way I was, he finally found out."

"And?"

"I'm pregnant." Arthur froze for a moment and Merlin began to worry that he had gone into shock until he blinked and spoke.

"You're pregnant?" he asked and Merlin smiled and nodded, watching as Arthur's face broke into a wide grin and he crashed their lips together, making Merlin moan at the roughness. When they parted they were both panting and grinning like mad.

"So you're happy, with this?" she panted and he placed a quick kiss on her lips.

"More than happy." he said and she planted several kissed across his lips, cheeks and jawline before resting her head on his shoulder and smiling.

"I love you."

"I love you." he replied and kissed the top of her head. "Now, off with the dress." he said and moved his hands to start undoing her corset.

"What, Arthur, it's the middle of the day!" She said, pulling away from him.

"Like that's stopped us before." he said and kissed just under her chin and she laughed falling backwards onto the bed and took her husband with her.

 

* * *

 

 

Time seemed to pass very quickly for the two that were expecting a baby and Merlin was now in her second month of pregnancy and had gone to see Gaius like he had wanted her to.

"Everything seems to be fine." Gaius told Merlin, who was sat on her favourite stool. "Are you eating healthily?"

"Of course."

"And you and Arthur are not being too rough on the baby?"

"No, what?" Gaius laughed as he moved over to his work bench. "Gaius! No, Arthur's, I'm, we're, none of your business!" she huffed.

"...What do I have to look forward to next month?"

"You might start to show, just a bit during this next month. Make sure that you keep eating well, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water."

"Who knew being pregnant would be such hard work."

"I will all be worth it in the end." Gaius said and Merlin smiled and rubbed at her flat stomach.

"I know, thank you Gaius, I'll be back next month for another one of our 'sessions' but I'll probably see you before that." she said as she made her way over to the door.

"Merlin?"

"Hm?"

"Your mother wrote back last week, I forgot to tell you, she's been packing her things and she should be here in a week or two."

"Thank you Gaius." Merlin smiled as she left the room and returned to her chambers where Arthur was sat at his table, munching on his lunch.

As soon as Merlin reached the desk, the King handed his wife an apple which she took after whispering a thank you and after rubbing it on her dress she took a bite.

"Mm." she sighed as she sat down opposite Arthur.

"So what did Gaius say, is everything alright?" he asked, sounding a bit worried but trying not to look it.

"Everything looks okay, I just need to keep up the very healthy lifestyle and also I might start showing during the third month." she beamed happily and a smile graced Arthur's lips at the mention of her showing. "Oh and my mother will be arriving in Camelot soon."

"I'll have some servants make ready a chamber for her, have you told her that you're pregnant?"

"Gaius wrote the letter, so I'm not sure, but if she doesn't, then I get to tell her in person, which is far better, although as soon as she find out she will want to tell everyone."

"The only person I'm worried that will find out about the pregnancy is Morgana, within an hour of her knowing the whole kingdom will know." Arthur laughed as did Merlin as she finished off her apple and placed the core on the table at the same time that he offered her another.

"No thank you, I think I'll just get some sleep."

"It's just gone midday." he whined and as Merlin walked to the bed he swiftly but gently pulled her onto his lap.

"Arthur!" she yelled before Arthur pulled her closer and their lips met for a slow sensual kiss but it was soon interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"Enter." Arthur called out and Morgana stepped into the room with a wide grin on her face, causing the two of them to worry.

"I've come to see where you've been hiding Merlin." she said, walking up to the desk where the two were sat.

"I haven't been hiding her Morgana."

"Great, then I guess you won't mind if I take her out and have her all to myself for a while."

"But I-" Merlin was just about to say when she was pulled to her feet.

"Be careful with her Morgana." Arthur growled.

"I am and I will, we will be back later tonight." Morgana said and had dragged Merlin out of the room before he could reply so he sighed and got back to eating his lunch.

It was very late at night when Merlin quietly made her way into her chambers, although she didn't really have to as Arthur was awake and waiting for her, sat up in bed, reading. When he heard her step in the room he looked up.

"How was your day with Morgana?" He asked and she glared at him before getting rid of her clothing, so that she was only wearing her undress and then she slipped into bed next to him.

He put the book away on a reachable table and when he moved back to lay down, she rested her head on his toned chest and let out a deep sigh.

"Oh, it was awful, she did my make up and my hair, more than once and made me try on so many dresses and made me get dressed in front of her and I swear she was always looking at my stomach, what if she knows?" she asked and she could feel his laugh rumble in his chest.

"It's okay Merlin, I'm sure that she doesn't know."

"Hm." Merlin said, closing her eyes and soon the King could hear Merlin's soft breathing, indicating that she was asleep and he blew out the candle that was lit next to him on the table and hooked an arm around his wife before joining her in sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Merlin had been waiting everyday to hear word that her mother was in Camelot or to see her walk into the square and after almost two weeks of waiting, a guard had told her that her mother had arrived and she almost flew to the courtyard where her mother was with her things, which were being taken off her and taken to her chambers.

"Mother!" she yelled and threw her arms around her mother who grinned and hugged her back.

"Merlin, it is so good to see you." she said and squeezed her daughter before pulling away and looking to the King who was just joining him, not having run like Merlin did. "King Arthur." she curtsied.

"Please Hunith, as my mother in law, I don't think you need to do that and just Arthur will do, we're family." he said and smiled warmly at her and she nodded, smiling back before turning to her daughter again.

"Look at you, you look wonderful, although, have you gained some weight?"

"Mother!" Merlin said and looked over at Arthur who was looking like he didn't know what to say.

"It's probably from all of the food you're eating now as Queen, you always did say that Arthur ate too much and that soon it would begin to show, well I guess it is showing on you instead.

"Mother!" she said and when Arthur began laughing she glared at him and shouted. "Would you just shut up?" to the both of them who were a bit taken aback from her shouting.

"Merlin, sweetie, I-" her mother began to say but Merlin cut her off.

"I don't care, Arthur, show her to her chambers." she said and began walking away.

"Where are going?" he shouted after her but she didn't replied. He sighed and turned to Hunith, who was looking slightly scared.

"It was only a joke, do you think she will be okay?"

"I'm sure she will be, she just hasn't been herself recently." Arthur said. "So how have you been?" he asked her as they began walking out of the courtyard and to where Hunith would be staying.


	3. Telling Mother and Morgana

After Arthur had shown Hunith to her chambers, he had gone in search of his wife. His first place to look was at Gwen's home, but the woman had not seen her but had agreed to help the King find his wife.

After about an hour of searching Camelot and the outskirts they finally found her in the outskirts of the city, under a tree and fast asleep, so Arthur had picked her up gently to make sure that he didn't wake her and then the three of them made their way back to Camelot.

Gwen had gone back to her home once they had reached the city and Arthur had taken his wife to their chambers, where Hunith was standing looking relieved that her daughter had been found and typical of Merlin, the moment he put her into their bed, her eyes opened and she woke up groaning.

She looked around, a bit scared as she had woken up in a different place than she had fallen asleep in, but after a few seconds she realised she was in her bed in her chambers and standing next to her, next to the bed was her husband and her mother. She looked at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Oh mother, I am so sorry that I shouted at you." she said and pulled her mother closer to her so that she could hug her.

"It's okay my darling, calm down." she soothed and she rubbed her daughters back and gave Arthur a look of confusion. She held her daughter for a little while before pulling her back so she could look her in the eyes. She thumbed away the tears that were just leaving her daughter's eyes before cupping her cheeks.

"Merlin what on earth is wrong with you? You are not acting like yourself!" Merlin glanced over at her husband who nodded at her, causing Hunith to raise an eyebrow at the two.

"Mother." Merlin said, catching her mother's attention. "I'm pregnant...you're going to become a grandmother." Hunith's face broke into a huge grin and tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.

"My baby is going to have a baby." Hunith said, her voice breaking due to her crying. She threw her arms around her daughter, hugging as someone near then spoke.

"Merlin's pregnant?" The three turned round to see Morgana standing at the doorway, her eyes twinkling and a smug smile on her face.

"I knew it!" she said and Arthur walked over to her, his finger lifted in a threatening gesture.

"If you tell anyone…"

"I won't!" Morgana reassured him, putting her hands up before rushing over to Merlin as Hunith moved out of the way so Morgana could hug her. "Congratulations, you're going to be a fantastic mother!"

"She will be." Hunith agreed before looking over at her son in law. "I think we should leave the soon to be parents alone now, don't you Morgana?"

"Fine, but I expect updates on the baby Merlin." she said and Merlin rolled her eyes.

"Yes Morgana."

As soon the door closed, Merlin relaxed and was about to turned down so that she was able to lie down, but toned arms wrapped around her waists and lips brushed against her neck.

"Arthur…" she moaned.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she questioned him.

"Morgana knows you're pregnant, aren't you worried she's going to tell, well, everyone?"

"Not really, I trust her, but if she does tell then is that really something to worry about? The kingdom is bound to find out eventually and I am going to start showing soon." she said and Arthur hummed in agreement, continuing to kiss along Merlin's neck, making her moans increase.

Merlin's eyes slipped closed and she leaned her head back, her mouth slightly open. One of Arthur's hands slipped down and cupped her through her breeches. She fought the urge to thrust into hand and instead used one of her own to pull his hand away from her.

"Merlin?"

"I'm sorry...I just…"

"It's okay." Arthur said, turning his wife around and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "You rest, I have to go attend a council meeting."

As Arthur walked away his wife called out 'good luck' to him and he grumbled a reply

 

* * *

 

 

A few weeks later Merlin entered into her third month of pregnancy and was due another visit to Gaius, and was currently on her way to see him now. She strolled through the corridors, very happy that she had managed to catch Arthur before he went of to another council meeting as well as her waking up to no morning sickness.

Just as she turned a corridor to carry on her journey, she very nearly collided with Sir Leon.

"Leon!"

"Good morning Merlin, I'm surprised you're up so early, word is you've been sleeping in every day."

"Well, um, I was just going to see Gaius." Merlin said, as if it were an explanation whilst slowly shuffling around the knight and he turned with her.

"Have fun." he said and she nodded before walking away, not getting very far when Leon shouted.

"Merlin?" she turned around. "Congratulations!" he smirked and headed back down the corridor and Merlin gritted her teeth.

So much for her good mood.

 

* * *

 

 

"How the hell did he know? I bet it was Morgana, it had to be! I knew I couldn't trust her, why did it? My mother or Arthur wouldn't have told him-" Merlin vented before she was cut off by Gaius.

"Merlin you have to calm down, stress is not good for the baby." Merlin immediately shut up, she knew that stress was the main cause of miscarriage and she could not risk losing her baby, the thought alone brought tears to her eyes. She made sure to quickly wipe them away before Gaius started to talk to her about her pregnancy.

"This month you may suffer some heartburn, if it gets too severs, come to me and I can give you something for it, if you find yourself having a nosebleed or a stuffed nose, it is nothing to worry about, it is all natural." Merlin nodded in understanding.

"Gaius?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think the baby looks like...at the moment?" Gaius smiled at her question and looked at an open book on his workbench.

"There isn't much known about how the baby is formed inside the womb, but some sorcerers have been known to be able to look inside a woman's stomach to see the growing child and they wrote this book, including diagrams, at your current stage they estimated that the baby would be around 2 inches in length and would weigh half an ounce. This is also the time where the baby begins to breathe." Merlin looked down in awe at her stomach and ran her hand over it.

"Hm, you've gained weight since last month." Gaius commented and she looked up at him, worried.

"Is that okay?" she asked and the man laughed.

"Of course."

"Good." she sighed. "I'd better be going...I need to have a word with Morgana." she said, and Gaius laughed as she exited the room in search of her sister in law.

 

* * *

 

Later that day, in the evening, when Merlin had returned to her chambers after a very long conversation with Morgana, she found Arthur already in bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was undressed, his chest naked where he would usually where a tunic.

She quickly undressed down to her night dress and got into bed beside her husband, who hadn't moved since the second she stepped into the room.

"Leon knows I'm pregnant, Morgana told him, I went to her earlier and got her to confess, she also confessed that she and Leon are...together, or she plans on getting them together, that was the point I just got confused and left."

"Hm." Was Arthur's reply.

"What's wrong?" She asked her husband.

"Nothing." He said, not taking his focus off the ceiling.

"Oh. Okay." Merlin said and turned to her side, trying to ignore her husband's cold shoulder. Unknown to the King, his wife silently wept herself to sleep that night.


	4. Small Bump

For an entire month, maybe even slightly longer, his Queen had managed to avoid him and he knew why, because of that night when she had tried to talk to him and he had given her the cold shoulder. He hadn’t meant to ignore her, he just had a lot on his mind. 

A kingdom, not far away from his own had plans to begin a war with Camelot and he had been doing everything in his power to prevent this from happening, he did not want a war coming to his home, if they were to come to Camelot...he had thought about that too much, too many scenarios of what could possibly happen were already running through his mind. 

He needed to see his wife and to talk to her, but every time he came close to doing so, she would walk away from him. 

It was late in the evening when Arthur finished his latest meeting with his council and was heading towards his and Merlin’s chambers, hoping to speak with her. When he entered the room he saw that she was already under the covers, fast asleep.

He let out a defeated sigh, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to talk to his wife tonight, so instead he quickly undressed and slipped into the bed beside his wife. 

“Athur?” Her small voice made him jump slightly and he turned around to face Merlin, who had her eyes barely open, just squinting enough to see him. “When’d you get back?” she slurred, her voice still full of sleep. 

“Not long ago, I didn’t want to wake you.” Arthur replied. 

“You should have.” She mumbled and moved closer to Arthur. When their skin can into contact he flinched at how cold she was. 

“Merlin, you’re freezing!” 

“S’cold.” she said, as if it were an explanation, through her chattering teeth and Arthur pulled her even closer to him, lacing an arm around her waist and holding her by the hip. He nuzzled his face into her long ebony locks and let out a sigh that he hadn’t realised he had been holding in. 

“I’m so sorry Merlin.”

“Arthur, don’t be, I’m just highly emotional at the moment.” She said, drawing in a shaky breath, which caused Arthur’s grip on her to tighten ever so slightly. Her eyes closed for a moment, enjoying the closeness that the two had not shared in a while.

“I’d noticed.” Arthur laughed and earned a laugh from Merlin as well. 

Arthur pulled his face away from her hair so that he could look down at her pale face. He gently cupped her chin and pulled it upwards before leaning down to capture her lips with his own and the two shared a long slow kiss. 

Slowly the kiss built up and Merlin pushed her husband onto his back and climbed on top of him. She went to lean down and pressed her body against her husband but she couldn’t quite do so, so moved to sit back up, causing Arthur to give her a confused look. 

“Are you okay?” Arthur asked her and she grinned as she ran her hands over her stomach, which added to Arthur’s confusion. Merlin grabbed the ends of her nightdress and pulled it upwards, stopping just below her breasts, showing her stomach, giving Arthur another smile. She had been in such a low mood recently she hadn’t even noticed how much her stomach had begun to swell with the tiny life that was inside of her. 

Arthur’s focus moved from his wife’s face to her stomach and realised why she had suddenly began to act weirdly. Her baby bump had formed, well, it had began to form. He smiled and placed his hands on top of hers and they moved slowly over her bump, feeling all of it with grins on their faces.

After a few moments of looking at and touching Merlin’s slightly swollen belly, Arthur placed a kiss on it, just above her belly button and pulled her down, gently, next to him, so that the two were facing each other. He then placed kisses along her collarbone, her neck, her cheeks, her nose, her ears, her eyelids, every single bit of exposed skin on her face. 

“I love you, my Merlin.” 

“I love you too, my Arthur.” she moaned and squirmed next to him, trying to move closer than they already were. 

“Merlin?” He questioned.

“Make love to me Arthur.” She moaned and rolled over onto her back and looked seductively over at her husband. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, please, I need you.” She moaned and her husband climbed on top of her, making sure he didn’t lean down on her stomach and hurt the growing life. He placed a kiss on her lips and then moved down to kiss her neck, before kissing between her breasts and her stomach. He moved further down, his head just near her core and she groaned.

_ “Arthur…” _

 


	5. Telling The People

For the past couple of weeks Merlin’s baby bump had began to make itself known. Currently Merlin was standing in front of the mirror observing how her body was changing and how the deep red velvet dress hugged her figure, making her bump look even bigger than it did when she was unclothed. Despite the tight fit, it was currently the only dress that she could fit into comfortably, she would have to make a visit to Gwen soon.

She pulled the dress down slightly to try and make the dress looser, which only make her chest pop out. She sighed angrily, her stomach wasn’t the only thing that had been growing, her chest had gotten slightly larger, she knew that once she began to reach her later months they would get even bigger, getting ready to be able feed and nourish the child she was carrying. 

She moved her dress around a bit and then smooth it out, stopping at her stomach and holding it for a moment. A knock at the door made her jump slightly and spin around on her heels. 

“Enter.” She called out, and Sir Leon stepped into the room. “Leon, how are you?” she greeted him. 

“I am well, thank you milady and yourself?”

“Leon, please, it’s Merlin, and I’m fine, thank you.”

“Of course Merlin, it’s good to hear you are well.” He said smiling after a quick glance at her stomach. “I came here to tell you that Arthur wishes to see you in the throne room.”

“Thank you Leon, I’ll be there shortly.”

Leon smiled and nodded before exiting the room. Merlin walked over to her vanity and began smoothing out the curls on her head and styling them as well as reapplying some of her makeup, normally she wouldn’t have bothered, having perfect hair and wearing makeup wasn’t really for her, but it was a new luxury and it was a big day after all. 

 

-

 

Half an hour later Merlin entered the throne room, which was nearly empty besides herself, Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Gaius, Hunith and the Knights. The majority of the people in the room where still unaware of Merlin’s pregnancy so the sight of her swollen stomach outline by her dress caused some confused looks, gasps and stares which only made her smile. 

She walked across the hall and to her husband who was standing at the bottom of the stairs that led up to their throne’s. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her quickly before turning back to the others.

“I have called you all here, because as our closest friends I believe that you should know first, of course some of you already know.” He looked towards Gaius, Hunith and Leon, stopping to glare at Morgana before turning back to the others. He took a deep breath and spoke. 

“Me and Merlin are expecting a baby.”

The others burst into cheers and congratulations, with Gwen and Gwaine rushing over to Merlin to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“So he finally knocked you up?” Gwaine grinned, earning a glare from the king and a punch on the arm from the queen. 

“Shut up Gwaine.”

“How far are you along?” Gwen asked her excitedly. 

“Four and a half months.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Another voice said and she turned around to see Sir Percival looking at her with hurt in his features and her happy expression disappeared. 

“I’m so, so, sorry Percy, I just-” Percival grinned and wrapped her in his giant arms.

“I was only joking Merlin, congratulations.” 

Elyan hugged her last, congratulating her before asking, “When are you going to tell the people?”

“Shortly, the guards are gathering people into the courtyard as we speak.” Arthur answered for her before holding out his hand for Merlin to take. 

“Shall we?”

“We shall.” She grinned and placed her hand in Arthur’s as they walked over to the closed doors to the balcony. 

Their friends and family stood behind them as they waited for the guards to open the doors for them, once everyone had gathered in the courtyard. They didn’t have to wait long, soon the doors opened and the King and Queen, hand in hand, walked out onto the balcony with everyone and more guards behind them. 

Merlin’s heart began to race when she saw the very large crowd of people watching them, she moved slightly so she was hidden slightly behind her husband and not in full view until she needed to be. 

“People of Camelot, I have gathered you all here today to give you some wonderful news, my wife, the Queen Merlin Pendragon of Camelot-” Merlin smiled brightly at the mention of her married name. “-is pregnant, four and a half months along.” 

The people erupted into cheers and Arthur turned to her, pulling her closer to the edge of the balcony where she smiled and waved at her people. She leaned in close to her husband’s embrace, feeling much more confident in front of the people now that she had Arthur, public speaking was not her strong suit and she had made a fool of herself many times in the past.

Next to them Morgana and Leon were clapping and smiling at the couple. Morgana glanced at her side to see Leon looking at Merlin’s swollen chest and rolled her eyes with a chuckled. 

“I do believe Leon, that her face is much higher up.” 

Leon’s head shot up and his face was flushed, causing Morgana to laugh at him. She wrapped her arms around one of his and kissed his cheek. 

“It’s okay Leon.” Morgana laughed at the flush that deepened into a shade of red on his cheeks.

“Milady…”

 


	6. Kicking War

 

Merlin lay in her and Arthur’s king sized bed, her husband’s arm tangled around her. Their chests rose and fell quickly with the breaths that they were trying to catch due to the events of earlier that evening. 

Suddenly the bliss she was feeling disappeared as a sharp pain shot through her lower stomach making her groan. She tried to sit up but she felt the same pain again. 

“Are you okay?” Arthur asked, sitting up next to her. 

“I’m fine.” She said but as soon as she moved the pain was back and she felt the urge to throw up and then began to panic as the pains became more regular. “My stomach…”

“Is something wrong with the baby?” Arthur asked, his panic rising. 

“I don’t know!” Arthur jumped out of the bed, pulling on his breeches before reaching for a shirt. “I’m going to get Gaius, I’ll be quick.” he said and left the room. 

Trying not to move too much, Merlin reached for her nightdress and slipped it over her head, so that she could cover her chest before Gaius came into the room. True to his word Arthur arrived back just minutes later with Gaius in tow. 

Arthur stood to the left of the bed whilst Gaius examined her stomach from his place on the right side of the bed. He placed his hands on her stomach and soon understood why Merlin was feeling sharp pains in her stomach. He moved his hands away from her stomach and smiled. 

“Is everything okay Gaius?” Arthur asked. 

“There is nothing to worry about sire, in fact this is a brilliant sign.”

Merlin looked at Gaius, slightly confused. “It is?”

“Yes, it’s the baby kicking.” he explained and Merlin ran a hand over her stomach and felt it again. “It’s a sign that your baby is active and healthy, some baby’s kick earlier or later, some women find it more painful than others, but it shouldn't feel too painful as your pregnancy progresses.” 

Merlin smiled at her husband and the two shared a short kiss before the queen turned back to the physician. 

“Is there anything else that I have to look forward to?”

“You will start growing more as the baby grows, the baby will be more active, responding to noises outside the womb, so they will move and kick a lot more depending on what noises they hear or what you do.”

“I guess there will be more stretch marks along with the growing?” Merlin groaned, running her finger along some of the marks around her belly button. 

“It is something that cannot be helped.”

“You’re gorgeous.” Arthur reassured her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. 

“I will leave the two of you alone.” Gaius chuckled before turning to leave the room. 

“Thank you Gaius.” she called out just before he left and closed the doors behind him. Merlin turned towards her husband and pulled him by the neck of his shirt so that she could kiss him. 

The kiss was much more passionate than the one that they had shared earlier with Gaius in the room and it wasn’t long before their hands began roaming along each other’s bodies. Arthur pulled his wife’s nightdress, throwing it on the floor like earlier this evening and ran his hands over her stomach, feeling the baby kick beneath them. 

He pulled away from the kiss and smiled at his wife. “Was that?” 

“It was.” Merlin smiled, placing her hands over her husband's. Arthur kiss her again and continued exploring her body into the night

 

-

 

For the next couple of weeks Merlin walked with a skip in her step, her active baby was making her just as active, nearly everyone had touched her stomach and felt the unborn Pendragon kick them. Morgana and Gwen were especially thrilled by the baby kicking, barely leaving the young woman alone, they had to be dragged away by Leon and Arthur sometimes so that Merlin could rest or be to where she was needed. 

Merlin was making her way down one of the many corridors in the castle when she saw a very depressed looking knight, Percival. 

“Percy? What’s wrong?” The night looked at her in surprise, he hadn’t even noticed her in the corridor. 

“Sorry Merlin, I didn’t see you there.” he said, pausing before answering her question. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.” 

“Seriously, what’s wrong?” she asked, and Percival sighed, turning to lod away from the wide concerned eyes of the Queen. 

“I believe it would be best if you heard it from Arthur instead of me, come on, let’s find him.” He said and Merlin nodded, following his to the council room, where he would more than likely be, and he was, along with many other people including Leon, Gwaine, Gaius, Elyan all surrounding the round table in the centre of the room. 

Everybody at the table stopped talking and turned to face the Queen as she walked into the room and bowed. Arthur looked up, to see his wife standing in the doorway of the room. Upon seeing who it was, he got up from his chair and walked over to her. 

“Merlin, is something wrong?”

“I want to know what’s going on.”

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

“Why is everyone here? Please, Arthur...tell me what’s going on?” She begged her husband, who turned to look at his council before looking back at his wife. 

“I think we should go back to our chambers...it would be better to talk there.” Merlin nodded and Merlin left the room, but before Arthur followed her out, he turned to his council. 

“You may all leave.” They nodded and followed behind the King as he left the room. 

Merlin walked in their shared chambers and Arthur walked in behind her. He slowly shut the door to their rooms and placed his forehead against it, trying to find the best way to break the news to his wife. 

“Arthur?” He turned to face her. “What’s going on?” Her voice was so soft, he hardly heard it. 

He walked away from the door and over to his wife. He held her pale hands in his and looked into her eyes. 

“Merlin...I’m sorry, i should have told you sooner.”

“Told me what?”

“I am to go for war.” Arthur said and Merlin’s eyes widened as she gripped Arthur’s hands tight. 

“What?” 

“Lord Benedict of Bernicia has declared war on Camelot, we don’t know why he is doing so, we have tried to make peace with him, but he just wants war.” Arthur explained as a few tears fell down Merlin’s face and she let go of his hands.

“And when were you planning on telling me? The day before you were due to leave? Or minutes before you left?”

“Merlin-” He said and moved to hug her but she shrugged him off. 

“No, don’t touch me!”

“Merlin-”

“What if you die Arthur? I will be left to rule the kingdom alone, to raise our  _ child  _ on my own!”

“Merlin-”

“Get out, please, before I say something that I don’t mean.” She sobbed. Arthur nodded and slowly walked towards the door, he turned back to glance at his wife and saw her sitting on the edge of their bed sobbing into her hands. Walking out of the room he turned to one of the two guards that were standing guard out his and Merlin’s chambers. 

“Please tell Hunith she is needed in her daughter’s chambers.” The guard he spoke to nodded and walked off to find Hunith. He knew that she wouldn’t want to be alone right now.

 


End file.
